Warning: Spoilers for ALL of WandaVision follow.
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Welcome to the final WandaVision edition of Slackin’ Off, where IGN editors and staff bounce questions, ideas, theories, and overall impressions off each other, now in the aftermath of the Westview Anomaly. It was a crazy, emotional ride and it’s time to both reflect back on the series that was while also looking ahead at what this all might mean for the MCU going forward.
Yes, the curtain’s now closed on WandaVision. The citizens of Westview are safe (and pissed/traumatized), Agatha Harkness is trapped inside her own “Okie Dokie, Artichokie” sitcom hell, Ralph Bohner is probably watching a Steven Seagal marathon, and Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch herself, is in sad seclusion after losing her entire Hex family in one sacrificial swoop.
“The Series Finale” saw Wanda defeat magic parasite Agatha with some billboard-sized runes, transform into the Scarlet Witch, and then shuffle off before authorities could have any real say on the matter. Hayward was arrested, Jimmy looks to be in line for a promotion, and Monica’s being called away — far, far away — by Nick Fury. But just when it seems like everything may have been wrapped up fairly neatly (aside from Wanda’s crushing loss from having to tear down the love she’d created for herself), we’re shown a very active Scarlet Witch in an astral projection cram session with the Darkhold. Yes, the being who’s supposed to “destroy the world” is homeschooling herself. This seems… less than ideal.
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Read on further for a few of the “office” theories currently being floated at IGN about all the goings-on in “The Series Finale.” Take these with several grains of salt as they’re meant to be nothing more than friendly, excited chatter on the WandaVision Slack channel about a show we enjoy and all the places it makes our brains go.
Be sure to drop your own take on WandaVision in the comments and don’t forget to vote in our poll at the bottom of the page!
Theory: Agatha and Mordo Will Team Up
Though it’s possible she may appear in the MCU sooner, the next confirmed Wanda sighting will be in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which will follow Spider-Man: No Way Home, a movie that will reportedly involve the multiverse. What role will Wanda play in the Strange sequel? We don’t know. We do know, though, that the Strange franchise isn’t going to leave Mordo on the table and the dejected, magic-hating sorcerer (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor) will be back for more in Strange 2.
So it’s interesting to note that, specifically in the WandaVision finale, Agatha mentioned that she took magic from those who didn’t deserve it. We knew she was a power leech, but not specifically that she deemed others unworthy. That sounds a lot like where Mordo’s head was at by the end of the first Doctor Strange movie. And since Agatha’s only trapped now, and not taken off the game board, it would make sense for these two to collaborate and collude. Because both of them are super into stealing sorcery from other magic-wielders.
Theory: Jimmy Woo’s “Cliff” is Cliff Randall
On a show where every name drop gets hyper-analyzed — and we still don’t know who Monica’s “my guy” engineer is or who Jimmy’s WITSEC contact was in Westview — it’s notable that Jimmy calls “Cliff” for FBI backup. He didn’t have to say a name at all, right? So with that in mind, maybe Cliff is, or was at least a nod to, Cliff Randall – an alien sleeper agent who, in the comics, was hiding among humans from an extraterrestrial race called the Collective Intelligence.
Given Cliff’s connection to SHIELD and Nick Fury in the comics, this could have been a fun throwaway that hints at Monica’s cosmic destiny with Fury, off Earth.
Theory: The Darkhold Is Not the Same Darkhold from Agents of SHIELD and Runaways
Okay, this isn’t so much of a hard theory as it is a deflated revelation.
At first we assumed Agatha’s book wasn’t the Darkhold because both Agents of SHIELD and Runaways, supposed “MCU” shows (well, Agents of SHIELD very much was for a few seasons), used that book in big ways for major storylines. Also, and maybe more important, the book didn’t look like that Darkhold from those shows.
Now that we know it is the Darkhold, it’s pretty clear that the Marvel Studios’ produced shows in the MCU, of which WandaVision is the first out of the gate, is not using or acknowledging the shows made by Marvel Television (before that division was shuttered). At least it’s not in the case of the Darkhold. This is a new Darkhold. The MCU proper is doing its own thing with it. We don’t assume Agatha had to fight the Runaways to get her hands on it. She just had it.
Plus, there was already a notable MCU split between Doctor Strange and Runaways since the character of Tina Minoru appears in both (and is a major character in Runaways), played by different actresses and in vastly different interpretations of the character.
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Theory: Wanda Has Retreated to Mt. Wundagore
Though it would be funny if all the Avengers just had a timeshare cabin in the remote forested mountains whenever one of them needed to hide from authorities (we’re looking at you too here, Hulk), the best theory for where Wanda’s at in the end is Wundagore Mountain, which is where Chthon wrote the Darkhold (in the comics).
This would be a place of tremendous power and a perfect spot to study the Darkhold and absorb all its arcane secrets. And drink tea.
Theory: White Vision Still Hasn’t Made Himself Known to the World By Spider-Man: Far From Home
White Vision – aka Factory Setting Vision, the O.G. – is now in the wind. We’re never told his fate at the end of WandaVision, just that he now has all of Vision’s old memories, pre-Westview.
WandaVision takes place about three weeks after Endgame. Spider-Man: Far From Home takes place eight months afterwards. And in Far From Home, the world is still mourning the loss of some of the Avengers, including Vision. So it stands to reason that Project Cataract Vision is still out there, in hiding, with no interest in entering the public eye.
Fun Theory: Ralph Bohner Was the WITSEC Person Jimmy Was Trying to Contact
Obviously, not every single question we had got answered. Some never will be. Others? Hopefully somewhere down the line.
One that persisted, from the first time Jimmy Woo entered the story, was the identity of his WITSEC contact. It was the reason he was headed to Westview in the first place.
So what better person to maybe be that person than Mr. Ralph Bohner? See, because it’s even funnier if the FBI gave him that name. Heck, even he seemed amused by it when Monica called him out. He had utilities set up in this name but clearly his moniker still made him giggle.
At the very least, amidst all the unanswered queries, “my husband Ralph” got directly addressed.
Was Mr. Bohner also an actor? It looked like the Quicksilver stand-in had a headshot. So was he in WITSEC and decided to be an actor, because he could start his life over, or did Agatha literally go out and find an actor to play the “role” of a sitcom brother for Wanda?
This will haunt us.
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Question: What About Señor Scratch?
So they gave us Agatha’s husband Ralph, but Señor Scratch — who could have been Nicholas Scratch in hiding — never made a return appearance. And this was after we saw Agatha consulting with Scratch. Communicating with it, it would seem. She even made reference to Wanda seeing them both in their true forms.
Don’t be surprised, in a future MCU project, if you see a bunny hop into the frame and bite someone on the toe. It’s Scratch season!
Question: Was Darcy (and Maybe Others) a Victim of the COVID Production Delay?
This isn’t necessarily a story question. Well, it is and it isn’t. Darcy appeared once in the finale. And in one single camera shot too, delivering one quick line. It felt very jarring given how big of a character she’d been on the series, the type of entrance she had after having not appeared since Thor: The Dark World, and also how much fun she, Jimmy, and Monica were as a trio.
This felt like a scheduling issue. WandaVision wasn’t totally done with filming when the first pandemic lockdown happened so there were some shots that still needed to go in the can. Darcy barely appearing in the finale felt like, for whatever reasons, they couldn’t get Kat Dennings back during the time they needed to roll the camera again.
With that in mind, there may have also been a few other things that got dropped from the Hayward/Monica/outside world story too given the production pause.
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Question: Is Wanda Still Destined to Be a Villain?
So this is the big one. Wanda learned a lesson, it would seem, here at the end of WandaVision. But she’s still the Avenger who unintentionally kills and/or tortures people. And after this, the public that was already iffy on her is going to want her head.
Already a villain to a lot of people, and currently teaching herself, with no guidance, Chaos Magic from the book of the Damned, Wanda isn’t exactly setting herself up for success as a superhero. Now, it’s possible that she and Doctor Strange will team up in Multiverse of Madness and thwart a plot by Nightmare or Mephisto (or an Agatha/Mordo combo), but something sinister seems afoot when Agatha spouts off about how the Scarlet Witch is supposed to destroy the world.
Then, after this, defeated, Agatha said, “Oh God, you don’t know what you’ve done.” And, “You have no idea what you’ve unleashed” — both extremely ominous phrases, to say the least. Will Wanda be the MCU’s next “big bad” (or a variation on that idea, acting as an agent of chaos) or did WandaVision essentially redeem Wanda? As Scarlet Witch, she clearly heard the voices of Billy and Tommy… trapped somewhere? In some other dimension? Will she break the world looking for them, opening up the multiverse in her wake?
Did you have any lingering questions or theories? Share them below, and vote in this week’s poll too. And be sure to check out our WandaVision Ending Explained!
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Source: IGN.com WandaVision: 6 Theories and 3 Lingering Questions This Week